Where: Comcast Center, College Park, MD
When: 1:00
Where to Watch: Raycom; check local listings
Line: Vegas: Maryland -21.5 KenPom: Maryland by 16
Storylines/Notes:
- Perfect timing...again. Last time Maryland played Wake Forest, it was directly after a close loss to Duke. This time, they play the Deacs against a demoralizing home loss. There's no better time to play a bad team than when you need an easy rebound win.
- Going for the tie, part II. Gary Williams missed the Wooden tie last time out. He'll get a chance to do it this afternoon. And then, thank God, I'll be able to stop talking about this (kinda silly) landmark.
- Injuries: Nothing new for Maryland or Wake Forest, which has been without PG Tony Chennault since the start of the year.
- Force turnovers. This has been one of Maryland's calling cards all year, and they should get TOs to come easily against PG-less Wake.
- Find a perimeter scorer. This is more of a desire than a key, but Wake is a mediocre defensive team. If Maryland can't find a guard or wing to score here, we might want to just chalk it up for the year.
- Just win. Sorry to be so straightforward, but this is the worst ACC team in years. If Maryland can't win beat them at home, I don't really know what to say. Emotion will play into it, yes, but as long as they can start okay, there's no reason they shouldn't run away with it.
Lineups:
| Maryland | Wake Forest | |
|---|---|---|
| Terrell Stoglin (Fr., 6-0) | C.J. Harris (So., 6-3) | |
| Adrian Bowie (Sr., 6-2) | Gary Clark (Sr., 6-4) | |
| Sean Mosley (Jr., 6-5) | Ari Stewart (So., 6-7) | |
| Dino Gregory (Sr., 6-8) | Travis McKie (Fr., 6-7) | |
| Jordan Williams (So., 6-10) | Carson Desrosiers (Fr., 7-0) |
I wouldn't at all be surprised to see a lineup change for Maryland, but I'm going with what I know for now. Maryland matches up pretty well here height-wise and in terms of experience; Clark is the only senior, but this is his first year getting major playing time.
Graph:
Maryland has an advantage in all the factors except for FT rate, which is improving every game. Stats say easy win.
Prediction: I know there's the potential of an emotional collapse, and that's something that can't be ignored, but Wake Forest is just too bad. If Maryland shows up - and I have no reason to expect they won't - this should be a whitewash.